A Twisted Proposition
by DarkKitten666
Summary: Young Ace swears revenge on the man who killed his beloved caretaker but finds himself faced with a proposition from the devil himself, Joker. What the young man doesn't know is that this proposition is as twisted and evil as the man who is proposing it.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to another exciting story of mine! WOO! Alright. It's not excited, I know. I've had this story mostly typed up for months now and I was thinking that if I just throw it out there for people to read, I might be motivated to finish! If not then... I'm sorry for wasting your time.**

**Warning... this story might be sad. Please don't get angry at me.**

**I got the idea for this story by reading a summary on one of the Diamond games.**

**I do not own any of the characters. They belong to Quinrose.**

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_The young boy watched in horror as the sword slashed deeply into his caretaker's chest. He felt rage well up inside his heart and asked himself why. Why was this happening? His caretaker has never done anything wrong. The man was a peaceful man with a cottage separated from the rest of the world, the bloody, fatal world where people killed for apparently no reason. The world that was deemed the name of Wonderland, a land of wonder. That, however, was not the case. Instead, it was a place full of death. Some welcomed death and others just brushed it off. Nobody was afraid to die. Nobody. However, this young, faceless child couldn't just brush off the ruthless killing of the man who had cared for him for so long. The boy glared at the murderer, the man who he would grow to hate with every fiber of his body._

"_Who are you?!" the boy growled at the man. He quickly found his way to the side of his guardian who was still alive, but barely. The man gasped for air. Crimson liquid leaked from his wound and stained the grass beneath. "W-why did you do this?!" The boy felt tears well up in his invisible eyes._

"_I am the Executioner," the man before him stated dully. He then used his cloak to wipe away the blood that stained his blade before sheathing it. He looked up at the boy with eyes hidden behind a mask. His eyes as red as the blood that was speckled across his face and as full of rage and hate as the young boy. Or possibly even more so… The man pondered for a moment, eyeing the gasping man on the ground. "I did it… because I wanted to." He paused for a moment before turning to leave the small grove that the boy and his caretaker were in._

"_Just because you wanted to?!" the boy yelled, enraged at the man who had turned his back to him. "That is not a good reason to kill!"_

"_It is a perfectly acceptable answer," the cloaked man grumbled. "In this world, it is as good of a reason as any!" The boy clenched his fists and ran at the man. With no weapons, the boy could only beat on the man's back with his fists. The man didn't respond as the boy pounded his fists as hard as he could against his body. Tears flooded the boy's eyes as his strength weakened. His knees gave out and the young boy sat on the ground, shaking with emotion. _

"_W-why?" the boy asked, his voice shaking with fear. "Why must you kill? I don't… I don't understand."_

"_You don't need to understand!" the swordsman laughed. A twisted smile appeared on his face as he turned back to the boy. "This world is all about death! To survive you must kill!" _

"_But-"_

"_Get stronger, kid." The man said. "Learn to kill and get stronger. That is the only way to survive." Once again, the man turned to leave. The boy was unable to move and stop the executioner. He watched in horror as the man's receding form disappeared into the trees. _

"_Ace…" the dying man wheezed, clutching his fists. He coughed slightly as blood began to drip from his lips. "Ace." He croaked out again, calling to the young man. He quickly made his way to his caretaker's side, tripping over himself on his way. The boy named Ace couldn't speak and could only grasp at the man._

"_I-It's alright A-Ace…" the man sputtered. He took in a sharp breath and flinched. "You… You will be alright."_

"_NOOOO!" Ace forced the words out of his mouth. "DON'T DIE!" His yelling did no good. His caretaker was fading fast._

"_Ace…" the man whispered using up his final breath. His body grew limp. The boy named Ace hugged his caretaker's lifeless body. It was already growing cold. _

"_No…" the boy whispered. "No. No!"_

~x~x~x~

"NO!" An older Ace yelled out, waking from the dream that had haunted his life. He clutched his chest in pain, feeling that his clock was still ticking. The day that his guardian died was the day everything changed. After that day, Ace didn't care about life. Ace didn't care about living or dying. He didn't care about letting those who were innocent live. All he cared about was surviving. Surviving to seek revenge. Revenge on the man who did this. Revenge for losing his beloved caretaker…

Nobody knew the teen still held the man's clock. Nobody came to him for the clock. Nobody forced him to give up the only thing left of the man who raised him…

Ace stretched slightly as he woke himself up more. There was no use in going back to sleep, the dream would continue to haunt him and grant him no true rest. He unconsciously ran his hand through his short, brunet hair before he rolled up his sleeping bag and took down the tent. He was living in the woods, unable to live in the cottage that he once called home. He was lost without his guardian, both mentally and physically. He could not find the path to the cottage, nor to the other places within Wonderland. Not that he had much reason to go to those places. So he stayed in the forest, living off the land as he was taught to.

He clenched the stick that he used to train himself in his fists. Since the day of the murder, the boy trained day in and day out. He trained himself in the arts of the sword. He built up his strength so that one day he could complete his need for revenge.

Somewhere nearby, there was a slight chuckle. Ace quickly spun around to try to find the source of this laughter, pointing his "sword" in all directions.

"Who goes there?" the brunet barked. He continued to stare down the trees around him, watching for the intruder.

"I am no foe." The voice sneered as a man stepped out from behind a tree. He held up his hands as if to surrender. His clothes were colored with reds and blacks. One eye was covered with a patch while the other glimmered red. Red like the eyes that haunted him in his sleep. Ace's grip on the stick tightened as he watched the man warily. Red hair drooped in the face of the man. His head was topped with a strange hat. Ace knew this was not the man who had killed his caretaker. The red eyes were not as deep or hate filled as the eyes from before. A smile played on the jester's lips.

"Who are you?" Ace snarled, untrusting of the bearers of faces. This role holder had no business with a young faceless man such as Ace, or so Ace thought.

"I am Joker." The man said, bowing slightly. He looked up with a crooked smile that twisted on both ends.

"What is it you want, role holder?" he hissed back, his words rolling off his tongue like poison. Role holders, how he hated them. The executioner was a role holder. They held no regards for those without faces.

"I have… A proposition for you."

"I'm not interested." Ace quickly said before turning to leave.

"But you didn't even hear what I had to say." The Joker sighed, slightly disappointed.

"I don't care." Ace growled. "I have more important things to do than barter my soul to the devil."

"What a painful way to say it, young man." The redhead frowned. Before Ace knew it, the man had him pinned to the ground. He struggled to break free but the man on top of him was strong. The Joker, who was practically sitting on the boy, laughed at his failed attempts. "Learn to respect your elders." He spat. Then, the Joker quickly reached around and pushed his hand into the Ace's breast pocket and pulled out the broken clock that he carried with him.

"NO!" he cried out, struggling to break free. "Eugh! Let me go you bastard!"

"It is against the rules to withhold a clock from the clockmaker, you know." The redhead said, threateningly. "I could lock you away for a long time and you would never see this clock again."

"P-please! Give that back! I'll do anything you want!" Ace called out, trying to break free. Tears welled up in his invisible eyes once more. "J-just don't h-hurt him!" the Joker smirked as he got up off the teen. He did not, however, give back the clock.

"Now, listen to my words." Joker said, pursing his lips. Ace gently rubbed at his wrists before nodding at the man. "You have much potential. I wish to harness this potential before anybody else."

"I don't understand." Ace whispered, eyeing the man and the clock he held up.

"I am the being that keeps order in this world." The Joker said bluntly. "I rule the prison, I punish those who have done wrong. However," he paused for a moment, picking up the stick that Ace once held like a sword. In the blink of an eye, the man turned the stick into a real sword. "I require the assistance of an executioner."

"Executioner…!" the boy's eyes widened as rage built up in his chest. He clenched his fists. "I would nev-"

"Don't be so hasty to decline my offer." The redhead warned, holding the blade up to the clock that he held in his hand. "You haven't even heard the entirety of my offer." The rage still bubbled up inside Ace, but he couldn't do anything. The man before him still held the clock that was so dear to him. He lowered his head in defeat. "You will become my executioner and kill all that I order you to and, in return, I shall bring back the soul of this clock."

"EH?!" Ace gasped, falling to his knees. His eyes wide as he looked at the Joker. "B-bring… bring him back?!"

"Yes," the jester nodded. Then he added "I would have uses for him."

"If you can really bring him back, I shall kill any man that stands against you." Ace declared, touching his forehead to the ground in a bow. "Tell me who you wish to be killed and the job shall be done!"

"Calm down, child. You have so much to learn." He snapped. Ace was drawn aback.

"But I-"

"This clock can wait for you to learn how to properly wield a killing tool." The Joker offered the blade that he held to the boy. As soon as Ace's fingers tightened around the hilt, he released it. Ace flinched at the weight of it, nearly dropping the heavy thing. "A stick and a sword are two completely different things. You cannot learn to hold the sword by wielding a stick." He snapped his fingers and the heavy sword quickly returned to its original form. The brunet's eyes narrowed at the light piece of wood that was now in his hands. He snapped the thing in two and threw it away. His eyes fixated on the clock once more.

"Teach me how to kill."

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**Thank you for reading and please review. Reviews will TOTALLY motivate me.**


	2. Chapter 2

"_Ah~ your first kill~"_ the small mask on Ace's waist chimed happily. Ace rolled his eyes and clutched the hilt of his sword at his hip intently. "_You're growing up so fast. I'm so proud."_ Ace sneered at the little mask but said nothing. "_Now, you know your objective and you know your target. Get it done." _And with a little click, the Joker's voice was gone. Ace sighed slightly before glancing through the crowd. His target was here, somewhere in this town. However, the man he was tracking was elusive.

"Where are you…?" Ace asked under his breath, his fingers gently petting the hilt of his sword waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He scanned the crowd once more in search of his target. His efforts turned up empty. He growled impatiently before walking into the faceless crowd to search. This place was busy. Extremely busy. He scanned the crowd and paused for a moment. There was a shadow in the alley way. It shifted slightly and the Executioner's eyes narrowed. He smiled slightly before making his way to the alley.

He could see the man's features better as he drew closer. Six foot two, dark blue hair, yellow eyes, and the black lizard tattoo along his neck. The man was quickly able to sense Ace's interest in him and attempted to flee. The Executioner darted after him into the long, dark alley. He came to a cross-section of two alleyways and cursed. He had lost sight of his target.

_Fwoop!_

Ace was barely able to dodge the knife that flew right at him. He glanced from the knife to the source. His target was on the roof of one of the buildings. He hissed out a sigh and jumped for the fire escape to scale the building. By the time he reached the top, the man was at the other edge, looking down as if to jump.

"GET BACK HERE!" the Executioner growled, running at the man. He dropped down and Ace glanced down over the ledge of the building. He was then grabbed and pulled down to yet another fire escape, a knife held to his throat.

"For a rival assassin you aren't very good." The man said calmly. His knife pressed against Ace's skin.

"I am not an assassin!" Ace roared, trying to break free. "L-let me go!"

"If you're not an assassin sent to kill me then perhaps a helpless boy searching for revenge?" he asked. "I have killed many people."

"I am the Executioner!" Ace growled, struggling against the man. The knife dripped with blood as he struggled. "I have been sent to kill you." The man froze for a moment before throwing Ace over the fire escape and down into the street. Ace called out in pain when he hit the cold stone. Then the man jumped down and gracefully landed on his feet. He glared at the young man's body as he writhed in pain.

"I don't have time for your games, kid." The man said, stabbing his knife into Ace's leg. "If you survive, we can play later." He then stood and turned before disappearing into the alleys yet again. Ace was unable to follow as he grasped the knife that had torn into his leg and pulled it out. Blood began to pool at his leg and he cursed under his breath. He attempted to stand to chase down his target but was unable to. His legs couldn't hold him.

"_Nice try, Ace."_ The Joker mocked.

"Shut up." The young man growled, attempting to bandage the wound with some torn cloth.

"_No, it was really a nice try." _The mask said again, "_You passed the test."_

"Test?"

"_The black lizard is a skilled assassin. I didn't expect you to even survive the encounter. You are stronger than I thought!" _the mask laughed.

"So you were expecting me to die?" he asked, somewhat annoyed.

"_I needed to test your strength as my Executioner,"_ the mask replied. "_And to test your loyalty to me. You should jump when I tell you to jump."_

"So you sent me here to die?!" Ace growled, getting angrier at the man. With a slight click, the Joker was gone. Ace once again cursed under his breath and gripped his leg in pain. He bit his lip to keep from shouting out.

"Are you alright, mister?" a voice asked. The Executioner quickly looked about to find the source. A small faceless girl with purple curls stood there, watching him bleed out.

"I'm… fine," he said, avoiding eye contact with the girl.

"Are you sure? You seem pretty hurt." she insisted, taking a step closer to get a better look.

"I said I'm fine!"

"My daddy is a doctor," she added, trying to entice him.

"What do you even want?" Ace sighed, confused as to why the young faceless girl would even talk to a role holder.

"I… Well…" she frowned and kicked at the paved road under her. "I-I got separated from my family and… being lost is really lonely."

"Eh?" Ace's eyes grew wide in confusion. Lost? Lonely?

"I…" she paused for a moment, still frowning. In the not-so-far distance, there was a loud explosion. Ace could hear people shouting and screaming. The purple haired girl before him spun around in fear. "W-what was that!?"

"Get down!" the Executioner called out, pulling at the girls arm. He pressed her into his chest and embraced her just in time as a nearby building burst into flames with a bang. He held her against the ground, protecting her from flying shards of glass. She was screaming, but she was not alone. Half the town was bombed. Although his ears were ringing loudly, Ace could still hear more explosions and people screaming in the distance.

"What just happened?!" they would call out.

"H-help!" others would scream.

The girl in his arms was shaking violently as he sat up, pulling the girl up. She was alright; however, he could feel shards of glass that were stuck within his own body.

"Urgh…" he moaned in pain as he pulled at the larger pieces of glass that stuck out from his flesh. The girl couldn't help but cry as the man bled out.

"Vivaldi?!" a man cried out, not far from them. "Vivaldi, where are you?!"

"D-d-daddy?!" the girl sniffled, "D-daddy! I'm here!"

"Oh, I am so glad you are alright!" the faceless man sighed in relief, embracing the girl. It took him a moment to realize there was another person there. "Who… is this?"

"Ah!" she turned to the man who was bleeding out on the cold ground. "This man saved me, daddy! You need to help him, please!"

"But Vivaldi, dear, he is a role holder."

"I-I don't care if he is a role holder or not!" the girl snapped, stomping her foot. "He is my knight in shining armor!"

Ace could no longer hold onto his consciousness. The crimson liquid continued to seep through his wounds and soak his clothes. He had lost too much as the darkness overtook him.

~x~x~x~

It surprised the young man when he woke up again. He was sure he was going to die but when he awoke inside the clinic, he felt a wave of relief. How close he was to never seeing his beloved caretaker ever again... He tried to sit up but flinched as pain filled his body. His injuries were still healing. He cursed under his breathe.

"You're lucky to have saved my little daughter, young man," the doctor said bitterly as he watched the Executioner struggle to sit up. "She is my little princess after all. If anything had happened to her…"

Ace could only remain silent as he put his clothes back on. The doctor, feeling ignored, turned on his heel and left. Once Ace touched his belt, the mask attached came to life.

"_Well, it seems you're still alive_~" the Joker chirped through the mask.

"No thanks to you," the Executioner growled.

"_Well just get your lazy butt back here and we can talk about your real first kill."_ The Joker said this with a click at the end as the line went dead. Ace nodded. He was as ready as he will ever be.


	3. Chapter 3

**Finally done. Enjoy.**

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"Your target is on the other side of this door," the jester laughed, touching the doorknob of a door that was attached to a tree.

"And where does it lead?" Ace asked, curious as to where he could possibly need to go with the use of the doors.

"Oooh, just to another country."

"A-another country?!" the boy was stunned.

Joker smiled widely. "Just remember, kid," the man chirped. "Make this kill and the man you loved most will be revived. He will be important to this country." Ace's mind was filled with memories of his caretaker. Rage built up as his anger toward the former Executioner grew. If he was the new Executioner then it was obvious the one that killed the man he cared most about was already dead.

"How will I know who my target is?" Ace questioned.

"Oh, you'll know. Believe me, you'll know," the jester laughed to himself before suddenly remembering something. He pulled a cloak and mask out from behind one of the trees. "This is your uniform. Put it on."

The brunet glared at it. It was exactly like the previous executioner. "Fine…" he grumbled, slinging the cloak around him. Joker smiled wickedly at the sight.

"Alright, time to go~" he sang, opening the door and forcing the Executioner through it. "Good luck~"

The door closed behind the young man as he stood, dumbfounded. He found himself in some kind of forest. He twisted around to find the door that he had stepped through missing. All that was behind him was a tree. This meant that he was stuck here until he completed his job, not that he would complain. If he finished this job, he could see the man he cared most about once again. Oh, what a reunion it would be. He smiled happily to himself as he strode away into the forest to find his target.

Because this was a forest, he had gotten lost several times. He thought he might be going in a circle since everything seemed so familiar. He shook his head, telling myself that it looks familiar because all forests look the same. A tree is a tree is a tree.

"Stupid tree…" he grumbled, kicking one of the large trunks that protruded from the ground. He froze. He had heard something. Yes, the tree had shuddered after he kicked it but that was not the noise he heard. Ace heard… a voice. His target perhaps? His hunter mode turned on as he stalked through the trees to locate his target.

It did not take him long to locate the man who he had heard. It was strange he had an uncanny resemblance to his guardian… The same long, flowing, blue hair. The same cloak. The same…

"Ace, where did you go this time?" he scolded, calling out to the trees behind him. "I told you to stick to the path."

The Executioner was shocked. Dumbfounded. This WAS the man. This WAS _Julius_. Before he could answer the man that he was here, a small boy raced out of the trees. "I'm here, Julius~"

"Well come on!" the man said, ushering the boy. "We need to get to the store before it closes."

"Don't worry! I'm right behind you." The boy smiled widely to the man before they both disappeared out of view of the Executioner. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at his belt.

"You are one sick, twisted man!" he hissed. The mask at his hip laughed in response.

"_You're a moron if you thought we would just bring back your precious caretaker without some kind of twist_," the mask grumbled in response.

"I won't do it," Ace stated. "I… I can't do it!"

"_Ah, but you already have~" _the mask chimed_. "Do you remember the Executioner you met before? The Executioner who had killed YOUR Julius?"_

"How could I ever forget?"

"_Look at yourself," _Joker's voice said from the mask. "_Are you not the spitting image of the man in the mask?"_

Rage was building inside of him. These Jokers were insane, how could he ever look like that murderous man? He pulled his sword, the only reflective object that he carried, and used it to look at himself. "This… This can't be…!" the man staring back at him was the very man who had killed Julius, the only difference was that there was no mask to veil the hate in his eyes.

"_It's destiny, Ace,"_ the mask responded. "_Every country is doomed to the same fate. Whether you cause it or not, Ace in this world will become the Executioner and Julius will die. It's your choice to determine if Julius of both your country and this one will become the Clockmaker."_

"I-…"

"_It's not a hard decision, Ace~"_

The man slammed his fist against the tree. So much rage and hate had built up inside of him. The man that he hated most was himself. He is destined to become the Executioner, no matter what, and Julius will always die. He could save this Julius from his fate for the time being, but this Julius is not _his_ Julius. This Julius is the child's Julius. This child's caretaker does not affect Ace in any way… Whether he lives or dies… Ace still gets _his_ caretaker back. With that, the Executioner made his decision. He stood with his sword still drawn. If the cycle continues, then this child will get his Julius back eventually. For now, it was Ace's turn to see his caretaker.

He stepped between the trees, silently, as he stalked his prey. He had to do it at the exact right time. He listened as the child laughed and watched as the boy ran from place to place as he followed the man. Every once in a while, the man would turn and scold the boy who would then slouch and begin to follow the man in a pouting manner. It didn't take long, however, for the child to be wandering around again. Memories flooded back to the Executioner of these precious times. Perhaps they can become reality again soon?

His sword arm twitched. He was read to end this, to make it become real again. The Executioner stepped out from between the trees as he placed the all-too-familiar mask on his face. Julius stopped in his tracks when the Executioner appeared before him.

"Executioner," the man acknowledged with a nod of the head. The child was missing for the time being. "Why is it you have come to me?"

Ace only stood in silence as his grip tightened on his sword. This Julius was just like _his_ Julius- it made him mad.

"So it's my time," the man said, sighing. "Please, spare Ace from seeing it."

After several seconds, Ace did not move. He knew what he had to do… The child popped out of a bush and immediately noticed him. "Julius, who is this?" he asked cautiously. At this question Ace sprung forward, digging his sword into the man with the face of Julius. The Executioner suddenly felt… empty. All the rage that had built up had left him the man bled on his sword. With a jerk, he pulled the blade out of him and wiped it on his cloak. He felt numb to the pain of watching Julius- the man he cared the most about- die once more.

"Wh-who are you?!" the boy growled, seeming more terrified that Ace remembered he was. Then came the tears, those burning tears. "Why did you do this?"

"I am… the Executioner," he said in a blank, careless manner. He felt completely numb. "I did it… because I wanted to." He turned.

"Just because you wanted to?!" the boy exploded. "That's not a good reason to kill!"

"It is a perfectly acceptable answer. In this world, it is as good of a reason as any!" As if touching a nerve, the child ran at Ace and began to hit the man repeatedly against his back. He felt no pain, only numb.

"W-why?" he cried. "Why must you kill? I don't… I don't understand."

"You don't need to understand!" Ace laughed. This whole thing was caused by those stupid jesters. He laughed because even he, the Executioner, didn't understand why there was so much killing in this world. There just was. "This world is all about death! To survive, you must kill!"

"B-but-"

"Get stronger, kid," he interrupted. For this cycle to continue, the child needed to get stronger and… "Learn to kill and get stronger. That's the only way to survive." Ace turned to leave as the boy stood, an empty and defeated look on his face. The man wondered if that is how he really looked on that tragic day but then shook his head. It didn't matter. It was over. He could finally return to his country, to _his _Julius.

~x~x~x~

"Congratulations~" Joker sang as the Executioner returned. The forest of doors once more…

"Where's Julius?" he asked in a low grumble.

"Don't be so hasty, Executioner," the jester chuckled, waving his finger. "How was your first kill?"

"We had a deal, Joker. Where is Julius?"

"So impatient, aren't we?" he questioned. After a moment, he opened one of the many doors. "Alright, here. Take this door." Ace nearly jumped through the door when it was opened.

Through the door was an unfamiliar room. The door shut behind him as he studied the room. The walls were decorated with clocks and papers. Books were stacked in various places around the room and a man sat at the desk in the center of the room, his attention on his hands as he worked quietly on some kind of small object.

"Julius," Ace breathed with relief. It seemed Joker did keep his promise. The man looked up with brilliant blue eyes. They were dull and cold.

"Who are you?" the man asked. The Executioner nearly fell over.

"J-Julius, it's me," he pled, removing the mask and cloak. "Ace."

"I don't know you," Julius replied dryly. He waved his hand in a shooing manner. "Please leave, I have a lot of work to do."

The man did as he was told, stepping out of the room, before falling to his knees. _His _caretaker is no longer his caretaker. The man in that room may have had the gentle man's face, but it was not him. Ace cursed himself for ever taking the deal. He should have known that there was a catch. He should have known it was a deal with the devil.

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**Hope you liked it. Please review~**


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